I need to buy some cycling apparel - plus size. Does anyone wear men's shorts? Are they do-able? Maybe I'm cheap, but some of the prices seem really expensive or is it not a good thing to buy cheap shorts?????
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I need to buy some cycling apparel - plus size. Does anyone wear men's shorts? Are they do-able? Maybe I'm cheap, but some of the prices seem really expensive or is it not a good thing to buy cheap shorts?????
I've done it before. I think it depends on what type of distance you're doing and how long you'll be on the bike. When I first started riding, I bought mens shorts not knowing the difference. I also bought Performance shorts because I couldn't afford better. I did centuries and distance on both. While I could ride on either now, it is MUCH better with good womens specific shorts :)
What you could do is get less expensive shorts to use on short ride days then get better ones on longer days?
As someone who has always adapted to what I had, I noticed a HUGE difference when I got decent womens shorts. No contest.
The poor should always buy quality!Quote:
Originally Posted by teigyr
You don't have to buy everything immediately.
Most important is shorts and gloves.
Tops you can make do with all sorts as long as it's sporty-material (wicking,etc). Shoes ditto as long as they have stiff soles.
Surgtech, I have always ridden in men's shorts, but the chamois wasn't shaped specifically for a man because they were in the $40-$50 price range. Most of the women's XL wouldn't come anywhere close to fitting me.
A month or two ago, I bought a pair of Hincapie shorts from TE -- an XXL women's and they do fit OK. (I don't see them there now, but you could call to ask.)
Now that I've lost weight and can squeeze into size 14s, I think there may be some women's shorts that I could wear. I'm going to be looking into getting a high-quality pair of women's shorts soon.
Surgtech,
I agree, the cycling shorts are expencive, to have the latest and greatest well this is up to you... I have PI-, Hincapie, Shebeest, Giordana and Performancebike shorts... I use the Performancebike shorts also for long rides (over 100 miles ) and they are fine for me, just to mention cheap shorts :rolleyes: ... generally it all comes down to find the right pair, it does not alsways have to be the most expensive brands, what makes it expensive is to find and try out the ones you like, and when you finally find them, ha... they change the chamois or whatever... so you have to experiment a little ... I have to mention, cycling close for woman has come a long way... I hope it gets even better.
Good luck!
Resi
surgetech, not sure what your budget is but a few women on the board have purchased from ground effects and they really like the fit.
since they're a new zealand company it might take a while but looks like overall you might be getting a decent short for a decent price.
http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/
Exclusively
I get what is in sales, the cheapest I can - and that, sadly, is never women's shorts.
But I have no issue with men's shorts - if you have a hunt through this Apparel forum, you'll find a couple of long discussions on womens/mens shoprts, and on the differences between brands and gender-specific shorts
:)
I used to wear men's med PI's... now that I'm smaller I wear women's PI Sugars in med... or maybe they're sm's, I don't remember.
At any rate, the men's worked out fine for me back then, but I have a "boy" build... no curves to speak of. The chamois wasn't an issue then. It may just depend on the shorts.
spazz
Thanks everyone. My next issue is: lycra biking shorts for the 'big girl'. I don't know if I really want to wear lycra. What about the mtn shorts that are a little baggy?
When I was bigger, I wore lycra. When I didn't feel like being "exposed" I wore regular baggies over my lycra bike shorts.
After recently experiencing the "joys" of shorts with attached liners (mtn baggies and such) I've decided the old way was better for me: bike shorts I liked with regular baggies I liked over them.
It can be very difficult to find shorts AND liners/lycra that both work when sold together. Especially as you are changing shape and size. I had good luck with mix-n-match.
I think I've bought all my bike shorts on sale so far. TE has some darned good sales, as does Terry. (Terry fits me well. when you find something you really like on sale, get them in a couple sizes if you think you may be changing sizes in the future. I managed to nab two sizes of my favorite Terrys on sale, and I don't regret it!)
Surg - your current sig is my favorite so far. TE has a lot of Family. Welcome aboard!
I wear thin nylon running shorts over my Sugoi lycra. Mainly 'cos I *really* don't like black. And I like to keep my beautiful backside to myself too.Quote:
Originally Posted by surgtech1956
I too have had to resort to wearing men's cycling clothes because of my size. I do also have some plus sized women's cycling wear, but I find that you really have to be careful because different manufacturers have different ideas about what "plus" size means.
I have some mt Borah baggie shorts that I ordered from te that I wear a lot, but the Mr Borah shirt in the same size is too dang small. The baggie shorts don't seem to work as well on the road bike as they did on the hybrid, either; They're always getting tangled up in the nose of my seat:( .
Junonia.com has a good selection of cycling shorts and tights in very generous sizes. I don't care much for their tops, though. I have a 2x commuter jacket that could wrap around me twice. I'm sure I must look like a circus tent come to life when I wear it
My most comfortable outfit is: 1x women's tights or shorts from Junonia and 3x men's performance jerseys which are long enough to cover butt and belly. This combination seems to earn me the fewest open mouthed stares:rolleyes:
I am normal sized and have never had anything else but men's shorts. I ride up to 100 km but have done 130 once, the limitation was not the chamois.
I had that problem with my hybrid. I finally bit the bullet and bought the lycra from Boure. Somebody recommended them here, but I don't know who. I bought them and emailed Mimitabby and told her I'd gotten them on her recommendation and loved them, and she said, nope, she didn't recommend them!Quote:
Originally Posted by lauraelmore1033
http://www.boure.com/shortswomen.html
I've also got Terry and Sugoi. I like the Boure best, but I'm not sure why. So that's no help, is it?
But my point is -- the lycra FEELS so good compared to the baggies, I just figured if anybody doesn't like the way my boom looks they can bite it. :p
I agree with you about the lycra feeling better. But it's not so much the "boom" that I am concerned with anymore; Cycling has shaped that up nicely (so my husband says...), it's the wraparound belly that I have to hide. You can see the damned thing from behind since a good portion of the behind is now missing! Those baggies aren't very flattering, either. They cover up alot, but they really call attention to the pooch if you have one. Lycra with a longer shirt looks much better and feels better. All things considered...:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by pooks
You and I may be similar in build. My boom (I picked that term up recently from a four-year-old and it just cracks me up) has always stayed firm and well-shaped. But my stomach? Oy!!!!
And you're right, I do go for fuller jerseys for that reason.